
Analysis: The Comrades Marathon ‘day of drama' starring Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn as victors
The Comrades Marathon is always a riveting show. On Sunday, Gerda Steyn and Tete Dijana starred — supported by cast members from all walks of life.
The beauty of the Comrades Marathon is that it doesn't matter whether you are an elite athlete or a novice runner — crossing that finish line after hours of running evokes the same emotions: elation and relief.
After hours of testing one's body, mind and spirit, reaching the finish is the best reward. The medal is just a bonus. As such, everyone who managed to endure the physical torture that comes with running the ultramarathon would have been as thrilled as the two 2025 champions, Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn.
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On Sunday, about 22,000 runners lined up for the 98th edition of one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world, battling themselves and the clock for victory during the 90km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
'What a day of drama. Packed with action from the start, the men's race, the women's race. Then, of course, there was the greatest race of all: everybody against the clock. That clock ticks at a relentless pace. It never cramps and it never gets tired. It just keeps going,' said nine-time Comrades champion Bruce Fordyce on SuperSport.
Dijana's redemption
Chasing redemption following a calamitous display as defending champion in 2024 — which saw him finish 14th — Dijana paced himself admirably on the way to crossing the finish line first, in 5:25:28. A year ago, the pressure of winning a historic hat-trick of Comrades titles had tripped Dijana up. He was also hampered by cramps.
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In 2025, there were no such occurrences. Dijana bunched up with fellow favourites including the eventual men's runner-up, Piet Wiersma, Edward Mothibi, David Gatebe and Joseph Manyedi. They were all chasing the early pacesetter, Onalenna Khonkhobe.
Khonkhobe did not finish the race, despite leading it for 4½ hours. At one point, the 2024 Two Oceans Marathon winner enjoyed a gap of 19 minutes from the chasing pack, which featured Dijana and Wiersma.
At Pinetown's Cowies Hill, the chasers caught up to and passed Khonkhobe. Then Dijana, Wiersma and Mothibi peeled away from the bunch. However, Mothibi struggled to keep up with Wiersma and Dijana.
'Today was not a good day for me. I was fit, I was ready. It's only when you run where you don't know what to expect,' said Mothibi.
'With 20km to go, I started cramping, but I held on. When Tete saw I was not coming back, he asked me what's going on. I said, 'I'm getting cramps. I don't think I'll be good to run with you. So, if you have a chance to go, just go.' He did exactly that,' said he 2019 winner.
After failing to chase Dijana down, the Netherlands' Wiersma acknowledged that he and Dijana had built a rivalry over the last few years — one which will probably persist for some time as the two marathoners seek to outshine each other.
'Tete is clearly the down-run king right now. But I hope I can be the up-run king with a victory next year,' said Wiersma.
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Steyn reigns supreme
While the crown for the current king of the Comrades is being jousted for by Dijana and Wiersma, Olympian Steyn reigns supreme in the women's segment.
Nevertheless, in Sunday's down run, Steyn did not have it all her way, with 2022 champion Alexandra Morozova putting pressure on her.
Steyn wore her trademark smile for large portions of the race. However, at times, she grimaced as Morozova hovered over her shoulder. Eventually, Steyn's experience and home advantage paid dividends as she cruised to victory over the Russian, with a gap of almost five minutes.
In third place, Kenya's Shelmith Muriuki became the first black woman to finish on the Comrades podium. Despite her history-making achievement, Muruiki finished 16 minutes behind home favourite Steyn.
'You feel like you are not inside your own body. It's like you are looking down on yourself doing it. To get to a point where you are in the finishing straight and you are going to win, it is meaningful and impactful,' said Steyn after her fourth Comrades victory.
With more than 24,000 entries for this year's race, the organisers split the participants into two groups at the starting point. They were 15 minutes apart, with the elite runners heading off first.
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About 22,000 runners eventually lined up and the staggered start worked well in preventing pushing and shoving at the beginning.
The exercise was a trial run for 2027, when many more participants are expected due to it being the 100th Comrades Marathon. DM

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IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Louis Massyn's inspiring journey to his 50th Comrades Marathon
Louis Massyn (right) became the first person to complete the Comrades Marathon 50 times, finishing the 89.98km race at age 74 in 11 hours, 53 minutes, and 14 seconds, in Durban, on Sunday. Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo/Independent Media While he may not have won the 98th Comrades Marathon on Sunday, 74-year-old Louis Massyn still came out a winner after he earned his 50th medal. Massyn completed his 50th Comrades Marathon when he crossed the finish line in 11 hours, 53 minutes, and 14 seconds in the 89.98km down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. He managed to make it with just over six minutes left before the 12 hour cut-off. 'If you really mentioned this 30 years ago to me that in 2025, you will be the first runner to compete 50 Comrades Marathons, I wouldn't have thought that that would be possible.' Massyn was only 22 years of age, when he participated in his first Comrades in 1973. 'That was my very, very first race in my life. Comrades, '73. Comrades, 1974 was my second race ever in my life. The Laingsburg Karoo Marathon was my third race in my life. 'After that, well, after that, then it just started exploding. I started participating in many more local races.' The only years he didn't compete were in 2020 and 2021, when there was no race due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also missed out in 2022 when he did not make it to the start line due to a knee injury. He explained that the injury, a meniscus tear in his knee, was a very tough experience, but that ultimately it was the right decision to skip the race that year, as it has allowed him to keep going thereafter. Massyn said that he has already received a congratulatory message from the orthopaedic surgeon who did his operation in 2022. Massyn, left, said that he was very grateful for Rhyno Smith, (right) and Hernus Stols, his teammates from Outeniqua Harriers Multisport Club. Image: Supplied A cake to celebrate Louis Massyn's 50th Comrades Marathon. Image: Supplied He explained that his journey started with an Anglican Church sermon in Odendaalsrus when the Bishop of Bloemfontein used the Comrades Marathon as a metaphor. 'And there I sat in the congregation, and I said to myself, the next Comrades, you're going to run. All I knew was that I had to run from 'Maritzburg down to Durban, and I needed to do it on my feet. I wasn't going to drive there, and that's where it all started,' Massyn said. The road runner reflected that he has done each of the six majors - New York, Berlin, Boston, London, Chicago, and Tokyo - and that each one has been a different experience. 'That's actually where I have built relationships across the world. All six of them are really, really special, and while it's not one of the majors, the Rio Marathon is absolutely wonderful. 'The Brazilians invited me to come and run the Rio Marathon, and I spent 13 days in Rio, where they really spoiled me day after day. It was absolutely a spoiled time,' Massyn said. 'Over the years, there have been absolutely golden memories, but Sunday was actually the cherry on the top.' Louis Massyn said that his 50th Comrades marathon was a tough one. Image: Supplied Massyn shared that what has kept him coming back to participate in the Comrades Marathon so many times is its uniqueness. 'The name Comrades is unique, and I think it's the most unique name for a marathon to be called the Comrades Marathon... The comradeship of the marathon, and the comradeship that I experienced on Sunday. I really cannot describe it. I'm only starting to realise what actually happened on Sunday.' Massyn said that he was very grateful for Rhyno Smith and Hernus Stols, his teammates from Outeniqua Harriers Multisport Club, and Erich Cornelissen from Bethlehem Marathon Klub, who supported him throughout the race on Sunday. 'They really helped me. I wasn't carrying even a tablet on myself. No energy drinks. They carried everything for me. Asked me how I was doing. They insisted each and every hour. You need to take this (energy boost) now. And the one guy would ask, what do you need? Water? He'd run out in front of the water station to get a few sachets of water and hand them back. It wasn't even necessary for me to collect anything from the water station.' Louis Massyn alongside his teammates from Outeniqua Harriers Multisport Club in George. Image: Supplied Massyn did face a tough time during the marathon when an excitable athlete grabbed onto him in a way that made him almost lose his balance. 'Not fully unbalanced, but I did lose balance, and in this process, I actually developed serious cramps… and then my whole right leg cramped up totally. So then my team actually really had their hands full to get all these cramps out of me, and I managed eventually to get it out with ice. 'But for the next 15 kilometres, it was quite a struggle, and that's actually the difficult part of the route - from Drummond, from halfway, right into Hillcrest, where you've got fairly steep and long hills.' 'But once we've reached Hillcrest, the downhill starts. It actually went very well, but unfortunately, again, with all the downhills, I started developing lower back pain. You probably saw how I finished? All crooked and wasn't running straight. 'But my team managed it. It was a huge concern, but Rhyno helped try to keep me as upright as possible, which was a huge problem. The concern was if I really fell forward, then it would've been the end of the race, but the team really managed me properly.' Massyn, who was packing up to return home to George on Thursday morning, said that he has been overwhelmed with all the messages from strangers over the past couple of days since completing the race. 'I don't think I've ever had so much support. There are probably more than 1,000 messages on my phone still. People are saying, 'you inspired me so' and asking if I'm going to be on the start line next year, and saying, 'I want to start with you next year'.' 'For the last 300 meters, when the spectators started shouting, 'Louis! Louis! Louis!' I can remember this. It was When asked if he will be returning to next year's race, Massyn answered: 'I'm going to be back.' He said that last year he was invited to run the Coastal Marathon in Namibia from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay, and he's already been sent an invite to participate in this year's race in October. 'I had a great run in Namibia, and seeing as they've invited me, that's going to be my next race that I'm going to train for,' Massyn said. 'And I'm going to try and qualify for Two Oceans and Comrades on that race.' Even this week, Massyn said he will be doing a fun park run this weekend, because 'I just want to walk it with my wife'. He said that he loves running the Two Oceans Marathon and has already completed 48 of them. 'So in 2027, hopefully, I'll be able to run my 50th Two Oceans as well. I'm also hopefully going to run the 100th edition of Comrades as well. That would be my end goal for Comrades at this stage.'


The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
83-year-old breaks own record as oldest Comrades Marathon finisher
Sekhukhune athlete Johannes Maros Mosehla (83) has broken his own record as the oldest Comrades Marathon finisher. According to Lowvelder, he completed the 89.98km race this past weekend. Mosehla finished the Pietermaritzburg to Durban race in under 11:47:27. In 2023, Mosehla broke the record held by Wally Hayward, who completed the Comrades Marathon at 80 in 1989. In 2024, Mosehla finished the race at the age of 82. The 2025 race marked his 12th finish since his first attempt at age 63. The Limpopo MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Funani Jerry Maseko, congratulated Mosehla on making history once again. He said Mosehla crossing the finish line showed extraordinary endurance, discipline and spirit. 'He is the living embodiment of what it means to never give up,' said Maseko. 'At 83 years old, he continues to inspire not just Limpopo, but the entire nation, proving that determination knows no age. His story is one of courage, perseverance and undying commitment to fitness and excellence.' Maseko noted that Mosehla's historic achievement is a testament to the importance of active ageing and participation in sport at all stages of life. He said his department is committed to continuing to support athletes and encouraging older people to remain active. 'We salute Mosehla. Limpopo is proud and South Africa is inspired.'


The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
Comrades organisers to address ‘criticism and complaints'
A total of 19 runners were given a 30-minute time penalty for starting in the wrong group. Organisers of the Comrades Marathon have acknowledged some of the issues which arose during the annual ultra-distance race in KwaZulu-Natal last weekend. In what was essentially a dress rehearsal for the 100th edition of the race, to be held in 2027, the 'down' run between Pietermaritzburg and Durban attracted a record field of 20 972 starters, with 18 194 runners finishing the 90km race. On the positive side, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) said it was pleased with the decision to have two separate starts for the first time, which eased the congestion in the early stages of the race. Conversely, however, with the race finishing in the street (as opposed to a stadium venue) in Durban for the first time, organisers admitted they would need to make some changes in 2027 when they expected another record field. 'Congestion at the finish and dealing with the flow of people in the venue were particularly challenging in the last hour, although the event's safety and security teams attended to the bottleneck issue at the runners' exit area behind the finish line, and resolved it before any serious incidents could occur,' said CMA general manager Alain Dalais. False start There were some participants who were caught starting in group one when they were in the group two batch, giving them an extra 15 minutes to finish the race before the 12-hour cut-off. While they were not disqualified, they were given a time penalty. 'At the finish, all runners' race numbers were scanned to determine which medal they earned, and in the process 19 runners from group two were flagged for having started with group one,' the CMA said. 'After being interviewed by race officials, it was decided to penalise them with a 30-minute time penalty added to their finish times.' Meanwhile, it was confirmed there were no deaths during this year's race. While 440 athletes were admitted into the medical tent at the finish, only 25 runners were admitted to hospital, including Moira Harding, who was reported missing after the race and found the next morning after walking eight kilometres from the finish in a delirious state. 'All of these patients are stable and recovering, and are likely to be discharged in the next few days,' Dalais said. 'The Comrades race doctor (Jeremy Boulter) is closely monitoring their recovery and is in constant contact with the hospitals.' Elite refreshment stations One issue the CMA did not address was a bizarre situation which forced elite athletes to pick up their refreshments off the floor, with bottles being placed on the ground rather than tables, as is standard. After the race, gold medallist and former race winner Edward Mothibi said this had been a problem, and some elite runners had opted not to take their bottles in an attempt to avoid cramping by bending down to pick up their personal refreshments. However, the organisers said they would work on fixing multiple issues which had been raised by participants on social media, particularly around the congestion at the finish. 'We hear the criticism and complaints, particularly about the finish venue, management of flow in the venue, and security, and we want to assure the running community that we are taking this feedback seriously,' Dalais said. 'We will be implementing changes and improvements to enhance the overall runner and spectator experience, and of course, to improve on safety aspects as well.'